Status: Active
Dear Fate
Twenty One
Olivia woke with a start. She raised her head from the shoulder she'd been leaning on to see a woman in her mid-fifties peering at her with a look Olivia had never seen before. After a second, she realized it was pity.
"Who did you leave, love?" the woman asked softly.
"My ma- my best friend," Olivia whispered.
"Aye, I left me husband and me 15 year old son. I suppose 15 isn't a child anymore, is it?" the woman asked sadly, looking off behind Olivia.
Olivia turned around and gasped at the sight before her. The Titanic was sitting in the water at a slight angle, the bow completely disappeared underwater.
"How long was I asleep?" Olivia asked, turning around to look at the woman.
"Five minutes at most. To be honest, I had only realized you'd fallen asleep when your sobs stopped," the woman said, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Olivia looked back to the ship and wondered if Holly had gotten off safely. She had no idea where the stupid girl could have possibly been when the ship was hit, or whatever had happened, and therefore had no idea if she had gotten onto a boat or not.
"Was it just you and your friend, dear?" the woman asked.
Olivia opened her mouth to reply when she realized she'd spared no thought at all to Tommy. The woman must have seen the look of horror cross her face, because she quickly grabbed her hand.
"No, I was with my… fiancé. We were to be married once we reached America," Olivia replied, swallowing thickly.
"I'm sorry, dear," the woman said honestly, grabbing Olivia's hand and patting it.
Olivia looked down and closed her eyes. She looked back up at the old woman before looking back at the ship. She could hear screaming in the distance and wondered if one of those scared shrieks was Holly.
"It will do no good to think about them right now dear. You just have to assume they got off on a different boat. You'll drive yourself insane otherwise."
Olivia looked back to the woman to see her staring up at the ship herself.
"And the same to you," Olivia replied softly.
They spent the next 20 minutes in complete silence, the only sounds coming from the ship and the people in the water.
"What is your best friends name?"
Olivia looked over at the woman to see her still looking at the ship, although when she felt Olivia's eyes on her, she turned to look at her.
"Holly," Olivia replied.
"That's a nice name. Were you friends long?" the woman asked.
"Yes, for about 8 years now," Olivia said, thinking back on their relationship.
At first she thought of all the fond moments together, but slowly her mind began to drift to all the cruel things she'd done to Holly in the past. All of the times she'd been intentionally mean, or disrespectful, or tried to embarrass the poor girl on purpose.
"I fear I haven't been as appreciative of her as I should have been," Olivia whispered sadly.
"You can't think of the bad times, darling, only the good," the woman said, patting Olivia on the shoulder.
"I fear there weren't enough good times to dwell on. I was just a horrible person to her. And now I'm never going to see her again," Olivia started to cry.
The woman hushed her as she brought her into a hug, patting Olivia on the back and giving her the comfort she needed. They stayed locked in their embrace for several minutes before Olivia pulled away and wiped her eyes.
"Thank you," she said sincerely, "I feel I needed that more than I knew."
"It's okay. Comforting you distracts me from the pain I'm sure to feel in the morning," the woman admitted sadly.
"I wonder, if it's not too much to ask, what were your husband and sons names?" Olivia ventured.
"Ask me in the morning," the woman smiled sadly, looking away from Olivia.
Olivia was silent for a second, peering at the older woman in confusion.
"If only you'll tell me," Olivia started, "perhaps I can help you in the same way you've helped me."
"Dear, I'm not as brave as you. I'm not ready to face my pain yet."
Olivia nodded and looked away. She could hear the people in the water screaming and screwed her eyes shut tightly, hoping to drown the sound out with her thoughts. She fantasized about what her life would have been like with Tommy when they finally reached the United States, when they ran away and had lots of children. Holly would come over with James, and they'd let their little boys play outside together, while the girls stayed inside and played dress up with some of Olivia's old dresses that she never sold. Tommy and James would sit in the living room and discuss the job market, while Olivia and Holly would gossip in the kitchen, Holly teaching Olivia how to get the chicken to just the right temperature.
Holly would go outside to call the little boys in, while Olivia would go and help the little girls change out of their dresses and inform the men that supper was ready. Tommy and James would set the table, and they would all sit down and enjoy the meal together. After supper, Holly and Olivia would do the dishes while the men would take the children into the living room and tell them wonderful stories about pirates and buried treasure. After they were finished cleaning up, they would join everyone else in the living room to hear the end of the story. Olivia and Tommy's children would whine about going to bed as Holly and James packed up their own children, saying goodbye for the night and heading to their own place, which was only a block away in the bustling city of New York.
After the children were asleep and James and Holly gone, Olivia and Tommy would crawl into bed together and fall asleep in each other's arms, reminiscing about the way that they met and discussing plans for the future.
Olivia was suddenly broken from her thoughts by a surge in screaming from the people still on the ship and in the water. She turned to look at Titanic and watched in horror as the stern began to break away from the bow, the ship splitting right down the middle before the stern began to fall right back towards the ocean. The lights still on flicked on and off for a second before finally going out, basking the environment in darkness and allowing Olivia to see no more.
"Who did you leave, love?" the woman asked softly.
"My ma- my best friend," Olivia whispered.
"Aye, I left me husband and me 15 year old son. I suppose 15 isn't a child anymore, is it?" the woman asked sadly, looking off behind Olivia.
Olivia turned around and gasped at the sight before her. The Titanic was sitting in the water at a slight angle, the bow completely disappeared underwater.
"How long was I asleep?" Olivia asked, turning around to look at the woman.
"Five minutes at most. To be honest, I had only realized you'd fallen asleep when your sobs stopped," the woman said, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Olivia looked back to the ship and wondered if Holly had gotten off safely. She had no idea where the stupid girl could have possibly been when the ship was hit, or whatever had happened, and therefore had no idea if she had gotten onto a boat or not.
"Was it just you and your friend, dear?" the woman asked.
Olivia opened her mouth to reply when she realized she'd spared no thought at all to Tommy. The woman must have seen the look of horror cross her face, because she quickly grabbed her hand.
"No, I was with my… fiancé. We were to be married once we reached America," Olivia replied, swallowing thickly.
"I'm sorry, dear," the woman said honestly, grabbing Olivia's hand and patting it.
Olivia looked down and closed her eyes. She looked back up at the old woman before looking back at the ship. She could hear screaming in the distance and wondered if one of those scared shrieks was Holly.
"It will do no good to think about them right now dear. You just have to assume they got off on a different boat. You'll drive yourself insane otherwise."
Olivia looked back to the woman to see her staring up at the ship herself.
"And the same to you," Olivia replied softly.
They spent the next 20 minutes in complete silence, the only sounds coming from the ship and the people in the water.
"What is your best friends name?"
Olivia looked over at the woman to see her still looking at the ship, although when she felt Olivia's eyes on her, she turned to look at her.
"Holly," Olivia replied.
"That's a nice name. Were you friends long?" the woman asked.
"Yes, for about 8 years now," Olivia said, thinking back on their relationship.
At first she thought of all the fond moments together, but slowly her mind began to drift to all the cruel things she'd done to Holly in the past. All of the times she'd been intentionally mean, or disrespectful, or tried to embarrass the poor girl on purpose.
"I fear I haven't been as appreciative of her as I should have been," Olivia whispered sadly.
"You can't think of the bad times, darling, only the good," the woman said, patting Olivia on the shoulder.
"I fear there weren't enough good times to dwell on. I was just a horrible person to her. And now I'm never going to see her again," Olivia started to cry.
The woman hushed her as she brought her into a hug, patting Olivia on the back and giving her the comfort she needed. They stayed locked in their embrace for several minutes before Olivia pulled away and wiped her eyes.
"Thank you," she said sincerely, "I feel I needed that more than I knew."
"It's okay. Comforting you distracts me from the pain I'm sure to feel in the morning," the woman admitted sadly.
"I wonder, if it's not too much to ask, what were your husband and sons names?" Olivia ventured.
"Ask me in the morning," the woman smiled sadly, looking away from Olivia.
Olivia was silent for a second, peering at the older woman in confusion.
"If only you'll tell me," Olivia started, "perhaps I can help you in the same way you've helped me."
"Dear, I'm not as brave as you. I'm not ready to face my pain yet."
Olivia nodded and looked away. She could hear the people in the water screaming and screwed her eyes shut tightly, hoping to drown the sound out with her thoughts. She fantasized about what her life would have been like with Tommy when they finally reached the United States, when they ran away and had lots of children. Holly would come over with James, and they'd let their little boys play outside together, while the girls stayed inside and played dress up with some of Olivia's old dresses that she never sold. Tommy and James would sit in the living room and discuss the job market, while Olivia and Holly would gossip in the kitchen, Holly teaching Olivia how to get the chicken to just the right temperature.
Holly would go outside to call the little boys in, while Olivia would go and help the little girls change out of their dresses and inform the men that supper was ready. Tommy and James would set the table, and they would all sit down and enjoy the meal together. After supper, Holly and Olivia would do the dishes while the men would take the children into the living room and tell them wonderful stories about pirates and buried treasure. After they were finished cleaning up, they would join everyone else in the living room to hear the end of the story. Olivia and Tommy's children would whine about going to bed as Holly and James packed up their own children, saying goodbye for the night and heading to their own place, which was only a block away in the bustling city of New York.
After the children were asleep and James and Holly gone, Olivia and Tommy would crawl into bed together and fall asleep in each other's arms, reminiscing about the way that they met and discussing plans for the future.
Olivia was suddenly broken from her thoughts by a surge in screaming from the people still on the ship and in the water. She turned to look at Titanic and watched in horror as the stern began to break away from the bow, the ship splitting right down the middle before the stern began to fall right back towards the ocean. The lights still on flicked on and off for a second before finally going out, basking the environment in darkness and allowing Olivia to see no more.